Fire-door-closing device



UNITED STATES l HARVEY L. COCHRAN, CE sHERiDANViLLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Patented February 23, 1904.

PATENT GEEICE.

f FIRE-DooR-cLosiNe DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 752,825, dated February 23, `1904.

'Appliain filed April 9, 1902.

To all whom t may concern,.- A

Be it known that I, HARVEY L. COCHRAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sheridanville, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and use-` ful Improvement in Fire-Door-Closing Devices, of which improvement the following is a speciication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in whichv p Figure 1 indicates an elevation of my improved device for closing fire-doors, the doors being open. Fig. 2Vis a plan view showing the position of the doors while being closed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the weight-supporting mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the door-tripper.

My invention relates to improvements in fire-doors, and particularly to means to automatically close the doors in the event of fire.

It also relates to means to cause the overlapping door to close immediately after the 'door which it overlaps.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been unsafe to push such door back against or parallel with the wall, for the reason that when in such position it is impossible in the event of fire to close the same quickly (or even close the same at all) by the devices now employed. It also frequently happened that the overlapping door closed first, forming when the other door closed thereon a space through which flame could readily pass.

The objects of my invention are to produce a device applicable for automatically closing hre-doors which will permit the Adoors to be pushed back against the walls out of the way when opened and yet permit the same to close quickly in the event of fire and also to prevent the overlapping door from closing lirst.

To accomplish these objects, my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, in which like reference characters indicate like parts wherever they occur throughout the several views.

Referring to said drawings, 1 and 2 are doors supported on hinges 3 and adapted to close the opening, as hereinafter described.

Serial No. 102,086. (No model.)

One of said doors, 2, is provided with a plate 5, secured upon its outer edge in any suitable manner and adapted to overlap the edge of the door 1 when said doors are closed for the purpose of more completely closing the opening4. To the inner edge of each of said doors 1 and 2, atthe top thereof, is attached a flexible connection 6 or 6', formed of rope, chain, or wire, which respectively pass over sheaves 7 7', the said sheaves being mounted on the plate 9, secured upon the top of the frame of the door, the sheaves being substantially in vertical alinement with the inner edge of each of said doors. 1 The said ropes or chains pass, respectively, to lthe opposite edge of the respective doors to which they are attached over the double `sheaves 10 and 11, which are respectively imounted in any suitable manner upon the plate 9, and through a block secured upon the top of the heavy counterweight 13, which is y detachably suspended from one arm of the bell-crank 14C. The free ends of Vsaid connections, respectively, have attached thereto the light counterweights 12ffor the purpose of Vtaking care ofjthe slack of said connections. The said bell-cranks are pivotally secured upon "the door-'frame and their vertically-proj ecting members connected to cords or chains 15, the opposite ends of which are connected te vertically-disposed links 16 16, the lower ends of which are pivotally secured upon the plate 9. 17 is a cord in which a fusible plug or fusible connection is inserted, which is connected to both of said links, and so long as the fusible portion thereof remains intact serves to hold the links in vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, and also to support the heavy counterweights suspended on the horizontal members of the bell-cranks.

18 is a tripper arranged upon the top frame of the door in such wise as to engage the tops of the doors, respectively. One member, a, of said tripper is provided with a vertically-disposed face and is adapted to arrest the door 2 in closing until the door 1 in engaging the under curved surface of the member Z) has swung the tripper upwardly on its hinges c, thus permitting door 1 to close in advance of door 2, as shown in Fig. 2.

19 19 are outwardly-projecting brackets IOO arranged, preferably, in vertical alinement with the hinges of the doors, respectively,

upon the outer endsV of which are respectively supports over which the iieXible connection runs, vmeans for keeping the iexible connec-` -tion taut over said supports, normally inactive means adapted to engage the flexible connection between the supports to pull said connection therebetween and cause closing of the' door, and means adapted to cause, the action of the normally inactive means aforesaid.

2. In an automatic door-c loser,` the combination with a door, of a flexible connection attached to said door, permanently-positioned supports over which said iexible connection runs, means for holding the flexible connection taut on said supports, a weight adapted to engage the flexible connection between the supports aforesaid, and means for holding said weight normally inactive and for automatically causing the release thereof.

3. In an automatic door-closer, the combi'- nation with a door, of a-iexible'connection attached thereto, permanently-positioned sup` ports over which said exible Vconnection runs, means for keeping the flexible connection'taut y on said supports, a weightadapted to'engagel f the ieXible connection between the supports; aforesaid, means for sustaining said weight and normally preventing itfrom'fal1ing,and a fusible connection controlling' said weight' supporting means.

4. In an automatic door-closer, the'combination with a door, of a flexible connection attached to the door, means for automatically operating said iexible connection to close the door, and a point of bearing from which the iexible connection is disengaged when the door is closed but over which the flexible connection is made'to run'whenthe door is opened which point of bearing is located beyond the face of the door in position to cause the flexi- -ble connection to exert a leverage on the door totend to close the door.

5. In an automatic door-closer, the combination with a pair of doors, of means for automatically closing Vsaid doors, means engaging one of the doors when nearly closed and momentarily retainingit until the other door has closed, and means for thereafter releasing the retained door to permit closing thereof.

6. In an automatic doorlcloser, the combination with'a pair of doorsand means for automatically closing said doors, of a member engaging one of the doorswhen nearly closed and'momentarily `retaining said door, and a `member engaged by the door iirst closing which releasesl the) engagement of the firstmentioned member with the other door and permits'said door to close, whereby the doors are `closed one after the other.

7. In an automatic door-closer, the combination with; a pair of doors and means for causing said doors toautomatically close, of a'two-armed hinged bracket, one of the mem- ;bers of whichengages one of' the doors and ,'momentarily retains' it until the other door has closed, the other member of said bracket being engaged by the door rs't closing to reflease the engagement of the bracket with the :retained door.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sign ed v my name in the'pr'esence of two subscribing witnesses;

HARVEY L.- COCHRAN. In presence of- CLARENGE A.-Wn.LIAMs, JOHNS H. RONEY. 

